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This is the plan, see I have a smart goals template.

Pete Wilson

A Smart Goals Template

A smart goals template is a means to scientifically layout and track your plan withprecision.

There is a plethora of information pertaining to this topic, so I will try and make it specific and practical.

To begin and well before the smart goals template is created onemust be sure that the project or purpose for the goal is solid.This means an examination or inventory of who you are, what youare, and why you are. Some insight to this here. [Ref ProjectMayhem]

So let’s assume that part is behind you. Here’s a short story.

In 1979 I came to the US, by 1982 I had my first opportunity as aline manager.

I was appointed manager of the Turning Department at WesternGear Corporation a manufacturer of precision transmissions for both commercial andmilitary aircraft.

The era was that of the “One Minute Manager” [Ref One Minute Manager Video WithKen Blanchard] and “Thriving on Chaos”.

If you have an individual or a group of individuals and they are not well managed orsupervised their attitude towards a task will be…..

….approached based upon:

• The work ethic of the individual.

• His/her morals, meaning what is it can I get away with today.[Based on the notion that people are basically lazy]

• The extent that he/she believes someone is watching theirmovements. [The cat is away, the mouse will play]

The One Minute Manager cites the example where the aboveoccurred, but then also cites what occurred when theindividual was challenged.

“So Bill, how long does it take to make one of these widgets?”Bill replies “oh about 10 minutes”.

Bill is half way through his shift, he has worked four hours.There are fifteen widgets completed. “So Bill, you have worked four hours and you have fifteen widgets completed, 15x 10 = 150 minutes = 2-1/2 hours work, what did you do for the other 1-1/2 hours?”

Brief pause for silence.

I’m holding up delivery

Three issues here;

1. Bill obviously thought he was doing well because no one told him otherwise. Heobviously is not a self-starter otherwise he would have figured he was underperforming.

2. The supervisor had only a limited idea what his role as a supervisor was. Part ofthat role is making sure the workforce is productive and being reasonably tasked. Themost important task actually.

3. More to our issue, what happens when you are the supervisor of yourself? [We willdeal with this later]

On with the story, and I may add I made no friends with this one.

The turning department was at the front end of the manufacturing cycle. Turned gear blanks were needed to produce“soft ground” blanks for “rough gear cut”, “heat treat”, on and on with all manner of processing in between.

If the starting manufacturing operations were late then all was late. Including delivery of the final assembly. Of coursethere were financial penalties for late delivery.

My move into the Turning Dept. was a test for me since the productivity there was atan all-time low. The previous manager had retired on the job. Strangely enough, butunder different circumstances I ended up terminating his employment, weird.

I had read all the books, [books provide knowledge, life provides experience] and Iwas brand new to the role. I set out on a Monday morning with clipboard in hand anda stern disposition.

I did have hands on experience with the physical work being done. I could not befooled.

Arriving at machine #1, “Good morning Devon, how are you blah, blah…how manyhours are you working today?” reply “Ten”…”OK, good. How long does it take to makeone of those blanks?”.. “Oh about 15 minutes”, “good, then you have nine hours to go lesslunch and breaks so eight hours, I expect 32 pieces on the floor by the end of shift I willsee you then.”

This seems straight forward enough, however.

All of a sudden the woodwork opens up. Out come all manner of rats, mice and bugs et althat manifest themselves in the form of unreported problems.

“This hoist does not work”

“My machine is not accurate anymore”, and

“I don’t have this tool or that tool”

Plus a million more!

This happens when people are challenged in terms of their productivity and then held accountable. That which isgenerally regarded as an excuse comes to the surface very quickly, particularly if negative consequences areinevitable?

The enlightened mind however will see this as an opportunity to improve the overall condition in an incremental

manner. Some call this continuous improvement. Some call it if you cannot measure it you cannot manage it . [RefBalanced Scorecard] The melodramatic call it that lazy….

To resolve these issues. some of the “tools” we employed managerially were multi disciplined/skilled/professionalteams. This meant groups of employees from all of the associated disciplines, manufacturing, engineering, quality,HR, production planning, purchasing plus any other who could contribute in a constructive manner.

We used “brainstorming” and “fish-bone analysis”[Ref 12 Manage] and the like to expose and categorize problems.This helped determine the path to suitable solutions.Subsequently a plan could be formatted with responsibilities assigned to effect the resolution.

Back to the story,

The outcome was a 40% improvement in raw production numbers. More importantly systemic and resource limitationswere exposed.Executive level management soon caught on, and the program was accelerated across the plant. Amongst many myname was mud.

It meant the good ol’ boys had to get off their asses and earn their paycheck.

Into the world of today. That style of management seems to have gone. The type that works with people, sets anexpectation, and then measures it against a standard. {MEASURE} When the performance to standard is not met,then a solution is sought. {MANAGE}

“If you cannot {MEASURE} it, you cannot {MANAGE} it.”

A smart goals template will help measure your plan against you and your performance tothe goals and expectations you set for yourself.

The fact that this kind of style has gone is a crying shame, because that was how respectwas earned.

Children who have no parents, or have parents who do not hold them accountablegenerally are unhappy and can fall off the “rails”.

Why? Because there is no challenge, nothing to work for or head for. No reward such as, “great job” girl or boy, son ordaughter.

Adults working are no different than children, the same buttons work. The stimulus is different and that is all.

Leaders/managers who perform as described above gain respect, why? Because they do not sit idly by and watchtheir subordinates struggle. They scientifically identify problems and solve them. Then attribute the success of thesolution to the “team” who resolved the issue[s].

How does all this relate to working from home, having your own little enterprise?

Make no mistake, home based enterprises are difficult, whether itis your own product, as an affiliate or whatever.

Beware of the so called leaders [gurus] with few exceptions theirpurpose is self serving. Limited opportunity for help is available. Itis pure greed that drives them, [no negatives here just facts]

I found a place where education and support is a part of theculture

Here is what I see. The tools and the where with all is all available. The lacking is in the gaining of accurate andspecific knowledge and the subsequent execution of its use.

The front end of this process is purpose and planning, developed in conjunction with a smart goals template.

Purpose turns out to be that which you love to do, wake up in the morning thinking about. Go to sleep with the same.

The bottom line truth, life gets in the way too often. On the other hand if you if you really want to realize that dream,you need that much loved purpose.

It does not matter how old you are, or what you are doing currently. I heard Dave Sharpe say one time, “it’s never toolate to start”, and “you can always start again”. [Dave Sharpe’s presence in Empower is something I miss, I thought hegrounded the initiative. A young man but an old soul]

So if you want it, then do it. If you gave up and want to try again, then do it. Take action right where you stand. Besmart begin at the beginning.

Planning is built around purpose. To realize the purpose, multiple goals with a plethora of objectives [Ref Diffen] andlearning is required. No free rides, only work.

The difference, you love it. So it does not feel like work.

You previously read of the happening after the challenge to make widgets above, “excuses”

The one man/woman business owner has his/her own set of excuses. They manifest themselves in statements of;

My computer is not powerful enough

I don’t know SEO [Ref Lawrence Tam Tool-belt]

I don’t know how to write

I don’t know how to make a video

I don’t understand YouTube

I don’t know how to generate traffic

The list is extremely creative and endless. I know a placewhere all of this can be learned

If the above is typical, then they are named incorrectly. They are simply minor challenges that have a solution, basedupon research and a little work. That’s all.

Lack of discipline, and the lowering of educational standards did nothing to help this. Not that any of the challengesabove would have changed.

The disposition however of the individual in terms of the approach to roadblocks [excuses] could have been different.

None the less, the situation is as is and must be dealt with.

My assumption here is that you want to succeed at something ? [Ref Tracy Walker Network Diva] Only you know whatthat is. I will not tell what you should do nor coerce you in any way.

I am not here to sell you anything, I am here to help you move forward, and onward to your dream. This part of mypurpose.

Whether you are an employee working the nine to five or a six to six workday, or are trying to develop something athome the doctrine is universal.

Here is my gift to you in the form of a smart goals template made up from over forty years of experience. It is notcomplicated. It just means some work, some persistence and some follow up. No giving up.

Step 1 Your Purpose, this will be incorporated in a smart goals template

Secure yourself a quiet place, preferably with subdued light. Clear your mind. Focus on your breathing. Stay like thisfor 45 minutes.

In the back of your mind somewhere are the words, memories, thoughts and the solution to this “purpose”.

You thought about it at times, maybe you talked about it, who knows? Answer: You do! It is in your sub conscious. [RefPsychology Today]

Remember you are going through this exercise to discover your“purpose”.

Since you are in process trying to figure this out consciously thiswanting is in your mind.

Focus on your breathing.

This will help free up what is in your sub conscious, or the “memory bank”. The thoughts and words you are after arelocked away in there, the exercise is all about bringing them to your conscious mind.

[Keep a notepad and pencil close by]

Thoughts and ideas are bubbling to the surface.

Take your notepad and start to write in any order any words that come into your mind.

After a couple or a few serious sessions of doing this you should have a random collection of words and phrases thatsurfaced. These came through to a clear mind that searched your sub conscious.

It is time now to make sense of all this. You have to do this work, and think about it terms of Congruency, Clarity, andCertainty.

What is meant by Congruency, Clarity, and Certainty? [Ref Huffington Post]

Congruency is rooted in your true desire. If the desire is “true“then you will have no problem in mirroring your words and youractions. When you present yourself to your “audience” yourcharacter and sincerity will be seen as one with your mission[desire]. You will not be seen as false. You and your purpose are“Congruent”.

The Clarity. Your vision must be crystal clear and focused. It isyour outcome you are seeing. You are in the exact place. With theexact surroundings. In the exact circumstance. You can see thiswith your mind’s eye. You have already in a sense, lived it. Thewhole thing has “Clarity”.

The Certainty. You know in your heart that what you are doing forcertain is your purpose. You are “Certain” of the outcome.

Spend the required time on this until it is abundantly clear to youthat this is the purpose equal to your dream, or your why. Orwhatever other colloquialism you may choose.

You will now have a simple or complex statement that is equal toyour purpose.

If you did this work well then you can now develop the plan to meet the outcome.

Step 2. The Outcome, also incorporated in a smart goals template

As far as “outcome” is concerned andunderstanding it. Imagine you are determining theoutcome, goals and objectives for someone whowants a degree in a business management. [Ref USSmall Business Administration]

In other words you want to present the prospective student with aplan that tell him or her what is required.

“So Mr/Mrs?Ms Student this is what your outcome will be.

Outcome = Four Year Certificate/Degree in Business Management.

Your goal is …

Goals = to achieve the required grades years one through four in thespecified subjects. The summed total will equal the outcome.

The objectives are partially listed, you will however have to figure the rest for yourself.

Objectives = Step by step, subject by subject, by specific dates withspecific grade levels. Then, subsets which describethe books, resources, and lab work etc. needed toachieve this.

Attached to the same outcome might be goals and objectives togain employment or some form of opportunity to finance this plan.It will not change the outcome, but the goal and the objectives tobe met will be different.

This kind of rational and planning skill is universal.

So, let’s say you want to start your own business , [Ref Entrepreneur.com] it does not matter what the business is.

Without a smart goals template…the likely outcome is..

You decide to go into business, but you dismiss the steps needed with a broad brush statement of “I don’t need to dothat, I know what I am doing”.

So, three weeks in here comes yet another wonderful no miss, perfect way to make money. However you had noclearly defined plan, [outcome, goals, and objectives] in front of you.

Clearly from the outside looking in…this what happened

You were pulled off track, distracted because there was nothing to measure this new scheme against.

Did it fit in with your goals and objectives?

Was there any use for it, would it help or hinder?

Was it congruent with you and your purpose?

Who knows, there was no plan, so no benchmark to compare.

This whole business thing is a journey.

The outcome is to arrive somewhere.

The goals are the major stepping stones along the way.

The objectives get you from stepping stone to stepping stone.

The idea is to be very specific and very much detail and deadline oriented.

Step 3. Put it all together and make it a smart goals template.

Let’s see if I can do this by example.

The outcome or major definite purpose is “I will teach others the skills ofestablishing themselves as individuals with abilities to encounter and deal withany situation in life. To make them independent researchers, and know whereto find information. I will share with them the benefits of my own experiences.”

Notice there are some generic words in the statement. Words like “teach”, “skills”, “abilities”, “research”, and“information”. In other words while the outcome is specific, it also has the potential to be applied to several differentgoals.

Let’s say that one of my goals here is to make money such that I can stay at home full time in order to concentrateupon the outcome above. [It is reasonable and rational to expect there will be many goals needed on the journey tothe eventual outcome]

Goals

1. Select and begin to develop a business from home. It musthave the potential to make me $10,000.00 per month. It must below maintenance with the ability to be leveraged. I want to be inbusiness and operational by September 18th 2014.

I found a place where $10K a month is doable

Objectives for Goal Number 1. Each objective will need acompletion date.

1. Research and select three potential candidates for the abovegoal.2. Find out what skills are required to operate said business.3. Find out what costs are involved, one time and recurring.4. What will the daily activity be?5. References, need five solid references from people who have been with the opportunity for an extended period oftime.6. How long before they were making money?

7. How consistent are their earnings?8. Are the earnings one time or is there residual opportunity?9. Paycheck or commission?10. What is the commission level?

Adequate and thorough research must be conducted to establishthe objectives required to meet the goal.

The idea is to break each goal down into steps [objectives]. Thetotal of the objectives equals the fulfilling of the goal. If it isrealized that something is missing, it can always be added.

However one should be thorough in the initial development of theobjectives. There will be many goals, and a plethora of objectives.In most cases if a date or dates is/are pushed all the dates afterthat point will be pushed.

The whole idea of the smart goals template is to cause one to sit down and seriously think about the overall [outcome].Then all of the major milestones [goals] and steps [objectives] to make that outcome become a reality.

Get this: If I learned on thing in the years I spent in industry, it was this.

NO DUE DATE OR COMPLETION DATE MEANS NEVER . It will never happen, your mind will be missing a criticalelement [the due date is missing]. Therefore it will wander onto something else, just like the absence of a purpose andplan caused above. Before it is realized the due date will arrive, and zero goals or objectives will have been met.

This is not a case of “I will just do this bit plan”, this process is “I will do the whole thing” kind of a plan . [Ref theCenter For Social Confidence]

Make sure you do not disqualify yourself walking through the door.

It is critical that a plan exists and that it covers everything A to Z. Anything external either fitsor it does not. If it has no congruency with the outcome, then it does not belong. Throw it outand stay focused.

An added benefit of this smart goals template idea is that it provides one with a skills and knowledge checklist.

Irrespective of what the purpose/outcome and associated goals and objectives there is no progress without learningnew skills and acquiring knowledge that was not owned prior.

Sprinkled throughout the plans will be “learn this skill”, research this “particular subject”. Personally I find this one ofthe best parts, I always like to be in the skills and acquisition of knowledge mode.

Now, in order to track this kind of activity a spreadsheet or Gantt [Ref Gantt.com] chart of some kind is a tremendoushelp.

Simple Chart Excel Style

The above is ideal. Simple to learn. Excel based. Will go on forever, keeps all of the goals and objectives in order.

Beware however there is maintenance. A specific time daily, tri-weekly bi-weekly or whatever is appropriate is requiredto make sure progress is maintained.

Throughout my forty years in manufacturing I used this kind of mechanism to effect all manner of outcome. Theoutcome in those cases was a subset to an executive level outcome for the whole. So myself and others had a suboutcome, the principle is the same.

This is a tried and true methodology, I can personally attest to the effect that my life as a high level manager/directorwould have been short lived without it.

The issue with the home based business [Ref All Business] challenge is, you report to yourself. “Why do I need aplan?”

Well, you need a view of the whole. Once you have an outcome, you need an estimate for completion. Thedevelopment of the plan if a good and thorough job is done will tell just about how long it will take. Whether you canwork two hour days or ten hour days. What will need the most time? What you should buy vs do yourself? Etc.

Enough, I think I made my point. Get started, if you have not already, on a smart goals template.

P.S. I found this simple step by step system. Take a serious look, and I know you will like it

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Pete Wilson

Ex operations director from the manufacturing industry, now developing an online business.Possess a comprehensive background in team management along with excellent skills intraining. Looking forward to building my own team of like minded people.....PW

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